My favorite Bible verse is Matthew 3:17 where God opens the heavens descending upon Jesus like a dove. The Spirit of God then speaks words of affirmation to His Son.
“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
I have been meditating on this passage of scripture recently, seeking truth, which may be hidden, waiting to be discovered.
I will humbly share my reflections with you and ask for your feedback.
Today I was reading it again and I realized that this affirmation happened before the start of Jesus’ ministry, right after His baptism.
I have read some of the books on the lost Gospels. In these manuscripts, which were not allowed for public consumption, there are stories about Jesus as a child and also as a young man.
One of the stories I remember about him was that he had gotten angry at one of his childhood friends and the friend died. Everyone blamed him for the death so he brought the dead friend back to life. It seemed characteristically easy for him to do such a miracle even at a young age.
The other story about Jesus was an observation. Someone had seen him by a river creating birds apparently. He was just sitting at the side of the river and forming birds out of clay and they would take form and fly off.
I wish I had been there. I would have had so much fun with him as a child.
So he had the ability to take and give life and to create from the time of birth. These miracles were not considered a part of his ministry.
His ministry started after His baptism and this affirmation from God. God showered Him with love before He was known as the Messiah before He became well known for His miracles.
Does this not give further weight to the concept that God’s love is unconditional and not based on works?
We are saved by grace, it is a gift, from a loving Father. All we have to do is believe that He loved us enough to sacrifice His son for our sins.
It is a matter of our hearts not our hands. It is how we love, not how we toil, which pleases God.
If our heavenly Father who is so Holy and Righteous can love us with this kind of love, should we not strive to love our children in the same manner?